People Are Tattooing Freckles on Their Face, and This Is What It Looks Like

As the old saying goes, if you’ve got a face, tattoo stuff on it. Alright, we made that up, but it seems to be the rampant sentiment as of late, with every new, emerging beauty trend being some form of tattoo (lookin’ at you, microblading). And now, it appears that the latest trend to hit social media is freckle tattooing. Yup. It’s exactly as it sounds.

Just like the brow-product obsession turned into a semi-permanent microblading obsession, the freckle craze of 2015 and 2016 has now turned into tattooed freckles. According to NewBeauty, who interviewed cosmetic tattoo artists Gabrielle Rainbow on the trend, the freckling process (which, at her shop, can cost about $250) generally takes about an hour to do, with results lasting up to three years.

“When [the freckles] are ‘freshly done,’ they will appear swollen, almost like bee stings,” said Rainbow, noting that the swelling does go down after a few hours, and the intense color will soften after a few months. And, after a few years, the spots will fade away, leaving you with your natural-born skin again. Of course, we feel the need to remind you that these are still tattoos on your face, and that there’s no turning back once you get them done.

Still, if you’re in love with your freckles (which you should be!) and want to enhance them, or want the spent-all-summer-in-the-sun look without the skin cancer, tattooed freckles could be the way to go. Just, like, think really hard about it first, and find a reputable tattoo artist who won’t make you look like you’re suddenly covered in blackheads.